Projo Fishing: HotBytes

Bill Nolan, with Sunday's catch.

One of the best fish of the week was the 47.11-pounder Bill Nolan took on a live pogie Sunday. He didn’t say where, but he has been spending a lot of time on the upper reaches of the Bay.

There were a few bass biting in Quonochontaug Breachway this morning, but they were pretty small.

This afternoon, Bob Barlas of Wickford Rodworks, a new shop in Wickford Village, said bass have been biting near the town dock and squeteague were biting in the waters off North Kingstown town beach. Cinder worms had been emerging in Wickford Cove, but the emergence slowed over the weekend. Look for more worms to appear on the blue moon Thursday.

The new store's addresss is 7 Main Street in Wickford.

Bob Neilson of Wildwood Outfitters landed a 24.5-inch fluke weighing over 7 pounds. It was one of four fish he caught that weighed over 5 pounds. The waters off Roy Carpenter’s Beach have been the hot spot, said Rob Robinson, noting that larger fish have been biting in 28 to 44 feet of water off the Harbor of Refuge's center wall on an ebb tide.

YouTube fly fishing

Once upon a time, there were fly-fishing schools that charged hundreds of dollars for a couple of days of talking knots and insects and hours of torturous repetitive casting that left your arm sore. At one such school, there were coffee breaks in the rod department of the school's retail store where instructors offered to help students select gear to buy.

The schools still exist, but they are becoming less relevant with the rise of YouTube and other online resources. Today, some of the world's best fishing instructors, including such popular authors as Tom Rosenbauer of Orvis, have short instructional videos online, for free.

In the past, many anglers took up fly fishing used no other gear but a fly rod. Today, more anglers regard fly fishing simply as another method in their fishing repertoire. There are times when a fly rod is more effective than any other tool for catching fish in fresh water and salt water.

This is shaping up to be a week when stripers will take anything, but fly fishing gear and light tackle are more fun than heaving heavy gear.

"Upper Narragansett Bay busted wide open with some great striped bass fishing,’’ said Ray Stachelek of Castafly Charters. ‘’Silversides have arrived in their typical spring locations and estuaries now. Pockets of adult menhaden were scattered in locations in Greenwich Harbor and along the east side of the bay near Colt State Park. Shrimp are starting to flourish in the areas where the grass in maturing along the mussel bed banks.

"Morning blitzes of bass on the surface have been occurring along the western side of the Bay. Activity may last for several hours during the morning tide change in the very beginning. As the days go by, look for this type of fishing to diminish as schools will get broken up.”

If you’re interested in learning to fish with a fly rod, check out the videos at www.youtube.com. The site also has an excellent demonstration by Lefty Kreh on casting with your whole body, rather than with your arm alone.

Big tournament

The West Bay Anglers fishing club has scheduled its third annual statewide striped bass tournament to start June 2 at 12:01 a.m., ending June 10 at 10 a.m. Fishing can be from shore or boat in Rhode Island waters.

The first place prize is $500. Second prize is $300 and third is $200. Winners must be present at the awards ceremony in Warwick to claim their prizes. The entry fee is $25, and all proceeds go to local charities.

The entrance fee is $25.00. Weigh stations are located throughout the state.

For more information, call Jeff Barker Jr. at 255-0971.

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